CNET Update - The ethical problem with Facebook's emotional experiment

Summary

Facebook conducted an undisclosed psychological experiment on over 680,000 users in January 2012, manipulating their emotions by showing them either positive or negative posts. The study, funded by the government, aimed to explore if emotional manipulation could influence user behavior and advertising effectiveness. Ethical concerns arose as users weren't informed, and Facebook cited a vague clause in its data policy as justification. Meanwhile, Facebook also collects health data through its fitness app, Moves. This unsettling experiment comes as Google shuts down its first social network, Orkut, after a decade.

Takeaways

• 😀 Over 680,000 Facebook users were unknowingly part of a psychological experiment in 2012.
• 😀 The experiment aimed to test if Facebook could manipulate users' emotions by showing positive or negative posts in their feeds.
• 😀 The study showed that users exposed to positive posts were slightly more positive in their updates, while those exposed to negative posts became more negative.
• 😀 The experiment was funded by the government, adding to the ethical concerns surrounding it.
• 😀 Facebook justified the experiment by pointing to a clause in its data policy that allows the company to use data for internal research without explicit user consent.
• 😀 Ethical issues arise because Facebook did not obtain informed consent from users before using them in the experiment.
• 😀 There is growing concern about Facebook's use of personal data, especially since the company also collects health-related information through its Moves app.
• 😀 Facebook's actions may prompt legal scrutiny, potentially from organizations like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
• 😀 The public's trust in Facebook is shaky due to this experiment and its data collection practices.
• 😀 Google is shutting down Orkut, its first social network, after 10 years, citing a focus on other platforms like YouTube and Google+.
• 😀 Orkut was especially popular in Brazil and India but will close on September 30th.

Q & A

What was the purpose of the psychological experiment conducted by Facebook?

The purpose of the experiment was to determine if Facebook could manipulate users' emotions by showing them either positive or negative posts, and to observe how this emotional manipulation affected their behavior, particularly their posts and mood.

How many users were involved in Facebook's psychological experiment?

Over 680,000 Facebook users were subjected to the experiment.

What were the two groups in Facebook's experiment shown?

One group saw mostly positive posts, while the other group saw posts with mostly negative words.

What was the result of Facebook’s experiment in terms of user behavior?

The study showed that users exposed to mostly positive words became slightly more positive in their posts, while those exposed to negative words became slightly more negative.

Why did Facebook justify conducting the experiment without informed consent from users?

Facebook justified the experiment by pointing to a clause buried in its data use policy, which stated that user data could be used for 'internal operations and research,' including experiments.

What ethical concerns arose from Facebook's psychological experiment?

The primary ethical concern was the lack of informed consent, as users were not made aware they were part of an experiment. The study also raised privacy issues, as users were unknowingly manipulated for research purposes.

What is Facebook’s relationship with health data through its app Moves?

Facebook owns the fitness tracking app Moves, and with the growth of fitness tracking technology, there are concerns about how Facebook might handle and use sensitive health data collected through such apps.

What are the broader implications of Facebook collecting health data?

The collection of health data by Facebook could lead to privacy concerns, especially regarding how the company uses this sensitive information and whether users are fully aware of the extent of data collection.

What was the significance of the closure of Google’s Orkut social network?

Orkut’s closure marked the end of Google's first social network, which was particularly popular in Brazil and India. Google chose to focus its efforts on other platforms like YouTube and Google+.

How did Orkut compare to other social networks during its operation?

Orkut was a major social network in countries like Brazil and India but struggled to maintain momentum globally, especially when compared to the growth of other platforms like Facebook.